“I just woke up.” Juri frowned and glanced back at the palace. “I don't know why I was sleeping. I never nap during the day.”
“Let me guess, the last thing you remember is speaking to the Shanba priests?” I asked.
Juri blinked. “I remember their arrival, but that's all.”
“You got whammied.” I smacked his shoulder companionably. “Come on, Juri, we gotta fill in the King's Guard too. They were off searching for the Shanba when all this went down.”
Juri frowned at the knights who were falling into formation behind Cyn. “Searching for the Shanba?”
“The priests, Juri, the priests.” Cyn slapped the same shoulder I had and followed me inside. “Do try to keep up.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Lord Juri was the King's only adviser. So Cyn and I met with him alone. Well, not entirely alone. Cyn's guards were there too. All of them. I think they were a little nervous about leaving his side. Plus, they wanted to know exactly what happened.
“So, you're safe now?” Juri asked when Cyn finished the tale.
“Safe from the relic,” Cyn said. “They're probably other people who want to kill me.”
Juri's face went into spasm.
“Can you not joke about that?” I snapped. “We just got back.”
“Too soon?” Cyn smirked. “It will be fine. If we can get through this, we can get through anything.”
“That's not reassuring,” Juri muttered.
“Juri, I've been poisoned, shot, hunted, and . . .” He looked at me to ask, “What did you call it, Mate?”
“Whammied?”
“Yes, whammied. But even Tareth's magic couldn't break our mating bond.” He took my hand and kissed it.
“I am beyond pleased for you,” Juri drawled sardonically.
“Cheer up, Juri!” Cyn smacked his shoulder. “You've been proven innocent. I have to say, I'm greatly relieved to find that you are the same man I've always believed you to be—honorable, loyal, and a genuine friend.” He went serious to add, “Thank you for always standing by me.”
Juri's annoyance vanished, and a goofy expression fell over his face. “It's my honor to serve, Your Majesty.”
I glanced at the floor-to-ceiling windows to my left and frowned. Something was bugging me.
“Mate?” Cyn asked.
I looked back at him. “You need to improve castle security. I can't figure out how they got in here.”
“The Shanba?” Juri asked.
“Yes. How did they get to me when they whammied me in the dungeon? And how did they even know I was in a cell?”
“One of them probably just walked in,” Juri said. “They had visited before, so the staff knew them.”
“And what? He just wandered the halls, waiting for me to show up and for you to toss me into a cell? No, the gate guards don't let just anyone pass. I know that from experience.”
“You are not a priest,” Juri said.
I lifted my brows at that, impressed that he had put it so nicely. “You mean, I'm a Raltven.”
He impressed me even more by not prevaricating. “Yes, precisely. You are not the sort who usually visits the castle. Those priests, however, were, well, priests.”
